Morning News Briefs: Monday, August 29, 2016

NC Governor: Coastal Residents Should Watch Tropical System

Governor Pat McCrory is asking coastal residents to watch the weather as a tropical system approaches.

The National Weather Service has a tropical storm watch in effect from Cape Lookout to Oregon Inlet. The weather service said Monday morning the storm was about 230 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras.

The storm is moving to the northwest at 10 mph with winds of 35 mph. Forecasters say the storm should be near the Outer Banks on Tuesday and early Wednesday. The storm isn't expected to be a major threat, but McCrory wants people to stay alert.

Ex-Judges To Unveil Nonpartisan NC Congressional Map

Some former judges and justices working for months creating a map of North Carolina's congressional districts they say is politically neutral are ready to release their results.

They scheduled a news conference Monday in Raleigh to unveil their demonstration boundaries. The project by Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy and Common Cause North Carolina is designed to promote the idea of independent redistricting that avoids partisanship while focusing on other criteria.

Pence Coming Back To North Carolina For Rally This Week

Mike Pence is coming back to North Carolina just days after the Republican vice presidential nominee took a mini-tour of the state.

Donald Trump's campaign web site said Friday the Indiana governor will hold a rally this Tuesday evening in Winston-Salem at the Millennium Center.

NC Chapter Of NAACP Starts 15-Stop Voter Registration Drive

The North Carolina chapter of the NAACP is concluding its series of actions commemorating the 1963 March on Washington with an event to mark the start of a voter drive.

The Rev. William Barber will lead the start of what he's calling the "Moral Marches to the Polls" on Monday evening at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh. It's the first of 15 stops to encourage voter registration.

Officials Concerned Over Whitewater Center Reopening

State and local elected officials have expressed concerns that the U.S. National Whitewater Center has reopened its channels less than two months after a rafter died from a brain-eating amoeba and with no new regulations in place.

The Charlotte Observer reports State Sen. Joel Ford said he was "stunned" the center resumed rafting on Aug. 10. Ford, whose district includes the facility, also said state lawmakers had expected to reconvene in Raleigh this winter and consider requirements.

Ford also told the newspaper that lawmakers believed the water channels would remain closed until next year and thus didn't act immediately.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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